George Forbes

George William Forbes (12 May 1869-17 May 1947) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 28 May 1930 to 6 December 1935, succeeding Joseph Ward and preceding Michael Joseph Savage. He was a member of the United Party of New Zealand during his premiership.

Biography
George William Forbes was born in Lyttleton, New Zealand in 1869, and he became involved with the Cheviot Settlers' Association. He was a staunch leaseholder, and Richard Seddon appointed him to the Royal Commission on Land Tenure and Settlement in 1905. Forbes became a New Zealand Liberal Party member of the House of Representatives in 1908, and he served as Liberal whip until 1922. He took an active part in the foundation of the New Zealand National Party, whose leader he became in 1925. His party gained but nine seats in that year's elections, and his career took a further turn for the worse when, after the creation of the new United Party of New Zealand, he had to step down as leader to make way for Joseph Ward. In 1928, he became Deputy Prime Minister for the ailing Ward, whom he succeeded in 1930. In 1931, he formed a coalition with Gordon Coates of the Reform Party of New Zealand to cope with the Great Depression. full of integrity, but lacking imagination or charisma, most of his Cabinet's important legislation was carried out by his political rival Coates, rather than by himself. Against bitter resistance from the New Zealand Labor Party, his government abolished the twin pillars of the formal Liberal Party, the graduated land tax and compulsory arbitration in labor disputes. He was unsympathetic to the grievances caused by the economic depression and his austere economic policies, maintaining that unemployment benefits should be cut since they were demoralizing. He was heavily defeated in the 1935 general elections, and resigned as party leader later that year.